Ruby Street Quiltworks

Instructors: Linda Becker and Cindy Williams
Class Fee: $285.00 (Includes all patterns and materials for the 86 x 86 inch quilt top and four months of instruction. See details below.)
Time: 6 - 8pm
Dates: September 9, October 14, November 11, December 9 
Prerequisites: This program is recommended for intermediate quilters or confident beginners. Some familiarity with paper piecing techniques is helpful.
Note: The Moon Glow Block of the Month was originally offered as a twelve month program. Due to a special purchase, we are able to open the program to four additional participants. Only four months of instruction is offered with this program instead of the twelve months originally offered. Though you will not have an entire year of support, we believe the four month program will give you a good foundation for creating this stunning masterpiece quilt. 

Moon Glow is one of the most exquisite quilts ever made. It was designed, hand pieced and hand quilted by Jinny Beyer with fabrics of her own design. This year the Moon Glow Quilt celebrated it's tenth anniversary and Ruby Street Quiltworks offered Moon Glow as our first ever block of the month program. 

The "Moon Glow" quilt has lost none of it's luster over the years. Our anniversary edition is every bit as intensely colored and radiant as the original with fabrics from Jinny's "Palette." The Mariners Compass blocks are stunning, named after the Moon's seas: Sea of Nectar, Sea of Moisture, Sea of Ingenuity, Sea of Tranquility, Sea of Rains, Sea of Fertility, Sea of Vapor, Sea of Clouds, Sea of Crisis, Sea of Serenity, Sea of Knowledge, and The Border Sea. Even the names are evocative of a mysterious luminesence.

Though the fabrics are the same, the patterns have been completely revised and updated to make construction of the "Mariner's Compass" blocks much easier.  

Jinny Beyer was one of the first fabric designers to create a "palette" of fabrics, just for quilters. She is a master of color and light, using fabric in quilts as an Impressionist would use a palette of oils in a painting. Jinny is truly one of the pioneers of the re-emergence of quilting as a craft, and the advancement of quilting as an art form. Click here for more information on Jinny Beyer.

The class fee includes all four classes as well as the fabric, block patterns and finishing instructions needed to complete the 86 x 86 inch quilt top. Classes will be held on the second Thursday of each month from 6 - 8pm. Our 15% class discount will apply from the time of sign-up through the last class date however, due to the nature of the program, refunds will not be possible. If you are unable to attend a class session, the instructors will make every attempt to help you catch up with the missed instruction. We realize the "Moon Glow" block of the month program is a significant commitment but upon completion you will have a masterpiece quilt. Your time and effort will be rewarded with new confidence in the use of color and mastery of a variety of piecing techniques.

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Instructor:  Margie Horton
Class Fee: Sign up for each class session separately. The fee is $20 per session. 
Class Dates:  
   Session I - (Persian Dawn) September 12, 2010
   Session II - (Persian Noon) October 10, 2010
   Session III - (Persian Dusk) November 14, 2010
   Session IV - (Finishing Class) December 12, 2010
Times:  12 - 2

This hand applique series will guide you through completion of Mary Sorenson's beautiful Persian Applique series. Each of the first three class sessions will feature one of the patterns in the series. In addition the first session will focus on color and fabric selection and tools for applique. You will be encouraged to stretch your color sense, bend your color rules and have fun with your fabric. The fourth session will cover different ways to finish the sixteen inch blocks with additional applique or piecing to create three small wall quilts, or ideas for combining the three blocks into a larger project. You are welcome to sign up for as many of the sessions as you like.

Unlike pieced "Block of the Month" programs, it is impossible to complete these richly detailed applique blocks in class. In the class sessions Margie will talk you through the details and design options of each block and help you through problem areas. Hands on work will focus on specific techniques such as the skinny stems, tiny circles or two part leaves. In each session you will have an opportunity to review and troubleshoot your block or just show it off. Show and tell is a great way to learn from your fellow classmates as well as your instructor.

The classes will focus on: 

-Color and texture. How to choose fabric for applique projects.
-Advanced Techniques. How to make those skinny stems, tiny circles and complex leaves.
-Design. How to adjust pattern pieces to simplify the design or add something extra to personalize your project. For example Margie added additional leaves to the Persian Dawn pattern to satisfy her own sense of design.
-How to set your applique into a circle as shown on the pattern. 
-The last session will focus on turning your block into completed projects.

For success in this class you should have some prior applique instruction or experience. The class is suitable for confident beginners or intermediate appliquers. The majority of the applique will be done with needleturn applique, though other techniques will also be used.

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Instructor:  Wendy Jewett
Class Fee:  $30
Time:  11 - 4

This elegantly designed "on point" table runner is from the new Wintergraphix Holiday Project Book. It would make a lovely accent for your holiday table over a red or white tablecloth or a wonderful gift for your holiday hostess. The block looks complicated but the instructions are clear and easy to follow. Wendy will break it down and show you how easy it is. You will have a choice of techniques: piecing with templates or paper piecing. When you have completed the table runner, you will have the confidence to create one (or more) of the other wonderful projects in the book. Wendy has done the sample using fabrics from In the Beginning's "Wintergraphix" collection but the elegant design will translate well to your own fabric choices.

This class assumes you are familiar with the operation of your sewing machine and have some basic quiltmaking experience.

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Instructor:  Rebecca Anderson
Class Fee:  $30
Time:  10:30 - 3:30

This is a great class for quilters who want to try paper piecing with an easy block and the guidance of an experienced (and supportive) instructor. Though the project appears complex, the blocks are broken into small, easy to piece units. More advanced paper piecers will also enjoy making these beautiful and well designed projects.

You choose which pattern you would like to make: the "Apple Leaf" table topper or runner or the "Flower Garland" table topper. Select reds, golds and browns to dress up your table for fall. The flower garland would be wonderful in Christmas fabrics. How about white flowers with a red background? We think our Daiwabo taupes would create an elegant, less literal interpretation of either design. You decide. 

This is a great learning piece. Not only will you perfect your paper-piecing skills, but you'll learn to work with equilateral triangles. Rebecca makes them easy!

Please note: This class assumes you have a basic knowledge of sewing. Before class gather your supplies and make sure your machine is in good working order. You will have a short break for lunch. Bring a lunch or plan to purchase lunch nearby. 

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Instructor:  Tia Stacy-Montague
Class Fee:  $25 for the Demo. The "hands-on" class is an additional $25 plus a $35 kit fee The kit fee is payable to the instructor in class.
Time:  Demo (10:30 - 12:30)
           Hands-On Class (1:30 - 4:30) 

Are you going to hang your quilt or other textile artwork? If yes, your work deserves a professional, gallery quality frame. Wood, cardboard, metal or (heaven forbid) plastic frames create a harsh finish for textile art and a glass covering obscures it's unique textural quality. Fabric is the medium of your artistic expression. A fabric frame maintains the integrity of your artwork. You can see in the image shown to the left, how the subtle fabric framing on Shelley's art piece keeps the focus on the art. In this class, Tia will teach you to construct a fabric frame that will show your textile artwork to it's best advantage.

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Instructor:  Linda Becker
Class Fee:  $50 (The pattern is included)
Time:  10:30 - 4

Classic Lone Star Quilts are beautiful and elegant, but they are challenging to make. Many quilters have a Lone Star on their "I want to make one of those someday" quilt list. If a Lone Star is on your list (or if you just added it after seeing the gorgeous sample) here’s your opportunity to check it off. You can make this Lone Star wall hanging without piecing the diamonds. The quilt is done using strip piecing methods and the 45-degree mark on your rotary cutting ruler. No special rulers are required. This class is for an advanced beginner or intermediate quilter. The pattern will be provided in class.

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Instructor:  Margie Horton
Class Fee:  $30
Time: 11 - 3

Many factors make a great quilt. Quality craftsmanship gives a quilt integrity. Interesting graphics engage our intellect. Texture underscores the graphic message, engages our tactile sense and gives the quilt it's "cuddle factor." But it is color which delights us.

This class is for quilters who don't enjoy the process of selecting fabric for their quilt because they lack "color confidence." We know you're out there, not having as much fun making your quilts as you should. No, we can't teach you how to pick the "right" fabric for your quilt. The "right" fabric comes from your own color preferences and unique sense of style.

"Well," you say, "I don't have any style sense and where do I get some color preferences?"

We say,  "You need to develop your own."

Don't worry, it just takes practice. With some gentle guidance (or maybe extensive counseling) you can cast off the "rules" of proper color combination and free your inner artist to select fabric with wild abandon or at least with a bit more confidence.

Before you make an appointment with a therapist, try this class. Margie will present a bit of color theory and share some insight into how colors and prints relate to one another. Then in a low pressure environment where you can forget your adult sense of what is right and engage your child like sense of what is delightful, you will begin to discover your unique sense of style and color preferences. Caution: this is a life long process. Don't worry though, it's fun and you'll make some fantastic quilts along the way.

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Instructor: Martie Carroll
Class Fee: $45
Time: 10 - 12:30

This is your chance to create your own hand dyed fabric, the kind you want to buy, but can't afford at the quilt shows. Martie brings her experience and expertise to the class and makes it lots of fun along the way. You will dye two 6-step gradations. (Gradations go from one primary color to another.) The class fee includes all chemicals and dyes for the class.

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Instructor:  Martie Carroll
Class Fee:  $40 (In addition there is a $12 fee payable to the instructor on the day of the class. This fee covers all the dyes and chemicals you will need.)
Time: 1:30 - 4

Create one-of-a-kind visually complex fabric. These will make your quilts dazzle and delight. This dyeing method is flexible and unpredictable. It is fun for beginners as well as experienced dyers.

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Instructor:  Brenda Lewis
Class Fee:  $20
Time:  10 - 3

Brenda worked up this charming, slightly raffish table topper in our "Gypsy Rose" fabric collection. You might expect to see it adorning the table of a gypsy fortune teller, right there under the crystal ball. Make this one just in time for Fall decorating. It has a touch of summer left in it.

This project comes from the book: On the Run from Anka's Treasures. If you are a fan of "precuts" this book is a treasure trove of projects. (Of course it works with "cut-it-yourself" fabrics for the rest of us. It would be great with your Halloween scraps!)

Try out these new techniques with Brenda's help: centering triangles along a completed edge to give a dimensional "on point" look, fusible applique, machine blanket stitch (if your machine allows), applying binding to an inside corner.

For success in this class you should be proficient in the operation of your sewing machine and have some basic quiltmaking experience.

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